Interrupting the Immoral Panic around Child Abuse and Professional Touch

Abstract

This paper explores how critical research might impact on social practice. Over the past decade, Piper and colleagues have identified the negative implications of the moral panic around child abuse in constraining intergenerational relationships and in diminishing the ability and commitment of adults acting in loco parentis to benefit young people in education, childcare, and sports coaching. Achieving impact in this area is complex and challenging because the research outcomes run counter to powerful social discourses and institutional interests and the researchers have limited communicational resources. In response, this paper proposes a new conceptualisation of the research topic, drawing on Aristotelian ideas of employing wisdom and professional judgment in pursuit of doing the right thing. Based on this analysis, an impact strategy is discussed which purposefully interrupts the ‘no touch’ discourse in coaching via a social media campaign that emphasises positive memories and motivations of sports coaches working with young people.

Examining the Ideologies of the State and Religion to Understand their Relationships: A Conceptual Review

“…Since, religion is about teaching good and prohibiting the wrong (Shaw, 2011), the function of man as God's vicegerent on earth (Glaser, 1998), means there should be improvement and building human character in a positive direction (Guorong, Moeller and Meyers, 2016). Immoral leadership has no capacity of helping its people to grow socially, morally, economically, culturally neither politically in this world (Duggan and Piper, 2013), and it is not enough to develop citizens, yet they are unable to repair their households. Because development must start by repairing one's heart and controlling his desires (Tomlinson and Mayer, 2009).…”

Managerial Discourse, Child Safeguarding, and the Elimination of Virtue from In Loco Parentis Relationships: An Example from Music Education

“…In the present discussion it is appropriate to question the assumptions, rationalities, and effects which come into play when the managerial approach is applied to child protection and safeguarding in social work and education, including instrumental tuition in music. The following section seeks to achieve this purpose through a consideration of aspects of MacIntyre's moral philosophy, a particular treatment of virtue ethics which applies a significantly distinct understanding of the individual agent and their action in society, which we have applied to the in loco parentis context previously (Duggan & Piper, 2013).…”

“…Any practice has its base in an established and collaborative community of members; honouring and passing down skills and ideas between members is intrinsic to its existence and the improvement of the relevant standards of achievement. On this basis, following Noddings (2003, as well as Duggan & Piper, 2013), we understand such activities as teaching or music tuition -all involving in loco parentis engagementas relational practices, in which practitioners will be keenly aware of, and interactive with, integral virtues and standards of excellence.…”

“…This work was developed in the UK context through conceptual clarification and small-scale research (Piper & Smith, 2003;Piper, Powell et al, 2006), and more recently through Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded research; first in education and childcare (Piper, Stronach, et al, 2006), then in sports coaching and physical education . Outcomes and implications from this research have been discussed in publications (including Piper & Stronach, 2008;Piper et al, 2013a;Duggan & Piper, 2013), and the following summary account is drawn from such outputs and related work in progress.…”